The Empire, er, uh–Big Publishing Strikes Back, or Apple Double Talk?

It seems a bit like double talk to me, but it sounds like Apple is taking the US DOJ to task, claiming they don’t have anything to do with the publisher industry’s eBook pricing.

However, Simon & Schuster, Hachette and News Corp’s HarperCollins agreed to settle citing that they didn’t want to be involved in a costly legal battle, but none are admitting to wrongdoing or collusion.

On the other hand, Apple, Macmillan, and Penguin Group have not only denied collusion and price-fixing but will likely fight the US DOJ charges.

It’s hard to tell who’s right. But fighting the Federal Government in court can be very expensive. Apple certainly has deep enough pockets to go to court if they feel they’ve been wrongly accused. It will be fun to see what happens.

Yes, it will be interesting. What appears to be a placid sea of eBooking we’ve been sailing is certainly turbulent underneath. It seems we’re hit with a new wave of controversy, revelation or development at least once a week.